Not Without You
by DeeSarrachi
Summary: Story of one of my pet's past...Rather sad, actually, but meh. Still kinda cute. ~FINISHED!~


Not Without You AN: First, a disclaimer: I don't own Neopets, never will. End of disclaimer.  
  
I wrote this as a quick, fun story to put on my pet's web page. Yes, I am known as noliintrare, but you can also reach me on Neopets.com under the name duplica13. Happy reading, please R&R!!!  
  
The light red Ixi rubbed at his eyes. He was tired. All of them were. This was only the fifth week of this...what would they look like in a month? A year? How long would it take for Fyora to realize they needed help? He wondered idly to himself.  
  
At the sound of hooves on stone, he looked up from his crystal. "Rayn." he said, relief evident in his tone. "Finally."  
  
The pale blue Ixi trotted delicately over to the crystal. "Looks like you've been working hard. Good thing I got here. You're gonna burn out one of these days, Nee." Her private nickname for him made Ruby_Rayneo, more often called Neo, smile.  
  
Neo waved a hoof impatiently. "Yeah, yeah. You keep saying that, and it keeps not happening. Besides, that Faerie moved here..."  
  
"An Earth Faerie, Nee..."  
  
"...Whatever. Point is, we can handle this, at least until Queen Fyora decides to get off her cloud and get herself into action..."  
  
"Nee!" screeched Sapphire_Rayneo, looking around to make sure no one had heard.  
  
"...and send some more Wish pets." finished Neo. He didn't quite believe it himself, but arguing with Rayn was fun. Besides, it was a change from wish- granting.  
  
With a sigh, Rayn eased herself into the soft, velvet chair in front of her own blue crystal. Tapping it with her hoof cause it to swirl with silver light, then show a clear picture of Meridell. "Better get up there." she said absently, peering into the crystal for the silver wishes that would hang above wishers. "There's a huge line-up." The two Ixis took turns wish- hunting in their crystals and managing the mini-complaint center, where the people would appear that hadn't had their wishes granted.  
  
Neo tapped his crystal, causing it to return to its opaque red colour, before he stood and headed to the door. Just before he passed, it, he looked back at Rayn, already hunched over her crystal, brow furrowed in concentration. "Sorry." he said softly. "Make sure you don't burn yourself out, okay?"  
  
Rayn nodded, not taking her gaze away from the crystal for a second. With a sigh, Neo trotted to the front to deal with several irate customers.  
  
  
  
Rayn sat up stiffly, stretching her arms. "Oof." She glanced at the clock, then started. "Ten at night? But..." She cast a glance at the door. Neo should have gotten her after a couple of hours...More than that long Wish- hunting could cause periment damage at worst. At best, it would leave a Wish pet drained for days. Yet...she didn't feel drained, despite the six hours she'd spent Wish-hunting. Strange. Suppressing a yawn, Rayn headed for the front room.  
  
Neo was still there, slumped over the desk and fast asleep. Rayn couldn't help but grin. He looked so cute, even a little vulnerable. Shaking her head, she grabbed a blanket from his bed to cover him with, then went for a walk outside in the night. She needed to fell the soft night air after all that time cooped up inside.  
  
  
  
Neo woke with a start. What time was it? He looked at the clock and gasped. Ten? When had Rayn started searching, four? Six hours of Wish-hunting wasn't good...  
  
With these thoughts rushing through Neo's mind, he raced to the back room. Reaching the door, he flung it open to yell Rayn's name. But...she wasn't there. Angrily, Neo rubbed his eyes. Where had she gone? Wait...her crystal was still active. Hesitantly, Neo walked toward it. Looking into another Wish pet's crystal could be dangerous, since their own wishes and even a part of them was stored in them. I'll just deactivate it. he thought to himself.  
  
He carefully neared the crystal. As he reached out to deactivate it, he was drawn to the sight in the crystal. Rayn, as she slowly walked through Meridell. The cool night breeze rippled her fur, and the full moon caught the silver around her neck, her horns, her hooves. Neo's breath caught in his throat. She looked so free. So different from the way she looked whenever he saw her. Then, she was a vibrant force, strong and focused. Now, when she was free from work, simply enjoying herself, she looked different. Soft, gentle, vulnerable. As if the breeze might simply blow her away, like a cloud across the moon. A soft, silver mist floated above her...  
  
In spite of his intentions, Neo sat down. She had a wish. He wanted to know, had to know, what it was.  
  
I wish.... I wish.... That we could get some help. Then I could walk like this all the time, with Nee. Just us in the moonlight...  
  
Neo's breath came faster. That was her wish? It was so close...So close to his.  
  
The view shifted. Rayn was walking back to the cave. Hurriedly, Neo pulled back from the crystal, racing to the front room to pretend to be asleep. He couldn't tell her about the crystal, about her wish. No way.  
  
Rayn sighed, enjoying the soft breeze. Night was her time, especially nights like this. Full moon, and besides, dreams granted wishes on their own. No Wish pets necessary. Which was very, very good. Now she could just enjoy the moonlight.  
  
A half-formed thought flitted through her mind: I wish Nee were here. She did, she realized. She loved to spend time with him, and if he could be walking with her in the moonlight, it would be perfect. She'd gotten so used to having him close, since they were spending most of their time in the same cave, only a few feet and a wall apart. Not like before the rush, when they'd go for walks across Meridell during less busy times. She really wanted to do that again. It would be fun. As soon as those new Wish pets managed to arrive, they could.  
  
Smiling, Rayn walked slowly back to the cave, relaxed by her walk. She could catch up on her sleep, then have something to eat. She'd be fine in the morning...  
  
Without warning, her energy drained. Wish I hadn't worked so hard... she thought, just before she hit the ground and blacked out.  
  
Neo wasn't sure what drew him outside...Maybe the wish that Rayn had made. In any case, he found himself outside, with a warm cloak wrapped around him. It was then that he spotted Rayn.  
  
"No..." he whispered. "Rayn!" He raced to her side, quickly checking her pulse. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding as he found her pulse; faint, but still there.  
  
Carefully, he lifted her limp body and carried it to Illusion's Glade. "H- hello? Miss. Illusion? Are you there?" His voice echoed dully in the forest.  
  
"I told you, I'm not giving out any more quests today!" The irritable Earth Faerie stalked to the front, her green dress replaced by leaf-patterned pajamas and a pair of sandals. Illusion's green-streaked brown hair was loosely braided back and out of her face. Her face softened when she caught sight of the two Wish Ixis, and Rayn in particular.  
  
"She collapsed outside. She'd been working too hard, she was Wish-hunting for nearly six hours..." Neo stood over Rayn, who was now lying on Illusion's soft bed, even paler than normal. Neo's voice dropped off. If he'd kept talking, he was afraid he would cry.  
  
"I see...and Wish-hunting is very draining?" Illusion asked, as she carefully looked Rayn over.  
  
"Yeah...You can help her, right? She's my best friend..." As he said it, Neo knew it was true. He wasn't sure he could live without her. Her cheerful voice, the way she looked when she was mad, her direct focus...He couldn't even begin to imagine life without her vibrant presence.  
  
"I'll do my best," the faerie promised. "I'm sure she just needs to sleep it off." Illusion looked Neo over. "You could probably use some sleep too. Here." she pointed to a door in the trees. "Use the spare room. And don't worry about your friend here. I'm sure she'll be fine."  
  
  
  
  
  
Neo couldn't sleep. After tossing and turning for almost an hour, he gave up on it. Rather than bother Illusion (who'd probably send him right back to bed, anyway) Neo crawled out of the window. He strolled for a while, following, if he'd known, the same path Rayn had taken earlier. He paused by a stream, staring at his own reflection.  
  
"Nee-ooh...." The voice came on the wind.  
  
"Who's there?" asked Neo uncertainly.  
  
"Nee-ooh...Why are you sad?"  
  
Anger flared. "What do you want? Why do you care?" he yelled into the night.  
  
"Use your head...Use your gift.... Grant your wish..."  
  
The voice trailed off, leaving Neo in the silent darkness.  
  
Use your gift? But... He thought about it. Could he grant his own wish? Just wish for Rayn to be okay, then Grant the Wish?  
  
In theory, it should work. And there was only one way to find out. "I wish...I Wish that Rayn would get better. That she goes back to the way she was before." He said the words before his courage failed. Then he grabbed his necklace, a gold sun, and closed his eyes. "I use what Fyora has given me. By my charm and my will, this wish be Granted!"  
  
  
  
Rayn opened her eyes suddenly. Her head was throbbing slightly, but she felt fine. Where was she? Sitting up, she glanced around. Trees, home...Illusien's Glade. She'd been here before, to meet the new neighbor. Now here she was, tired out of her mind and starving. At least she wasn't dead, which she'd thought she would be. Six hours of Wish-hunting really took it out of someone.  
  
"Good, you woke up. I knew you were just tired. Now, where'd that other one get to?" Illusion herself walked in, apparently cheery.  
  
Other one...Rayn gasped. "You mean Nee...erm, Neo?" she asked. "Looks like me, only red and gold?"  
  
Illusion nodded. "Yes, he brought you here. Now he's gone, but the window's open..."  
  
Rayn leapt up, ignoring Illusien's protests. "Thank you very much, ma'am, but I need to find Nee. Bye!" With that she leapt out of the glade in search of her partner.  
  
She found him, lying by the side of the stream. Lying down, he looked asleep...or worse. Shaking her head to rid herself of thoughts like that, Rayn raced to Neo's side.  
  
"Nee? Come on, Nee, get up! Please, Nee...please..." Her voice trailed off into sobs. Her tears dotted his fur, dripping off onto the moon-kissed grass.  
  
"Wish pet's can't grant their own wishes!" shouted a voice from the side. A ghost appeared, grinning maniacally. "It may work, but the greed destroys them!" The ghost laughed. "Never knew you could be so gullible! I should take advantage of pets with broken hearts more often!" Still laughing maniacally, the ghost moved off.  
  
"No...Nee, you Floud brain..." whispered Rayn. "That was the first thing we learned, remember? Don't grant your own Wishes...Nee....what am I gonna do without you?"  
  
  
  
That was where Rayn was found the next morning, curled up near the banks of the stream. Around her neck was a silver charm, with a golden chain. The charm was shaped like a shifting cloud, but now it seemed to always have a sliver of golden sun peeking through it. Beside the sleeping Neopet was a small mound, roughly in the shape of a sleeping Ixi...  
  
  
  
Months later......  
  
Rayn sat dully in the adoption center. People had passed by, hundreds of people, but no one had given her a second glance. Who would? There she was, a light blue Ixi, so different from the rest of her species. Sighing, she flopped down onto the cool, steel bottom of the cage.  
  
"Noli, why'd we come here? All you do is look at pets and move on! Can't we go back to the Inn and finish up that humongous pile of work you hafta do tonight?"  
  
Great thought Rayn. Some spoiled pet and his owner.  
  
Just then, a dark blue head popped up. A Gelert, male. "Oh, hi there!" It was the same one from before. "Who are you?" he asked.  
  
Rayn decided to humor him. "Sapphire_Rayneo. Call me Rayn. Who are you?" In spite of herself, this Gelert had caught her attention.  
  
"Oh, my name's Misashio, but Noli calls me Shio. That's Noli Intrare, by the way. She's my owner. She runs the Flying Faerie Inn. Have you heard of it? It's a totally cool inn. You wanna live with us?"  
  
The question was so fast, so matter-of-fact, that for a moment, all Rayn could do was stare. "Uh, I dunno..." she answered.  
  
A girl raced down the aisle. "Oy, Shio, who are you bugging now?" she asked, staring down at the Gelert. Her short-cut hair was a bright shade of vibrant red, streaked, oddly enough, with green, the same deep shade as her eyes. "Oh, hi there." she said, noticing Rayn for the first time. "I'm sorry if Shio was bothering you. I'm Noli."  
  
Rayn swallowed. "I'm Rayn. No, he wasn't bothering me. He asked if I'd like to be adopted by you."  
  
"Oh, jeez. Shio!"  
  
Shio wasn't startled. "Well, you said I could chose a sibling. I picked already. It's just up to her, now."  
  
Rayn blushed slightly under the stares of the two Neopians. "I-I think I'd love to." she said finally.  
  
"Great!" cheered Shio, turning to reveal small wings. "Now I have someone to blame all the messes on!"  
  
Noli grinned, opening the cage. She called Rose, the pound Uni over, and paid the adoption fee. Finally, Rayn had somewhere to live. Somewhere that didn't have the memories. A fresh start. 


End file.
